Sunday, October 7, 2007

"The frequently made programmatic assumption is that programs can and should be developed to train parents to read to their children as a way to solve, or perhaps prevent, reading problems of beginning readers. On the one hand, such an approach might seem misguided on purely practical grounds; how could all the parents who do not read to their children (or who do not read "the right way") be trained? Beyond this, however, one may question such an approach because it diverts attention away from the school on the assumption that the "problem" originates in the home and because it assumes "right" and "wrong" forms of parenting, based on a dominant group model" (Gallego, 206).

This section stood out to me because I think it is a good idea that parents be "trained" on how to read to their children. Of course, it would be difficult to train parents before their children attend school. Once they enter Kindergarten, however, I think that the child's teacher should take responsibility for helping the parents of his/her students. Formal training is not necessary and may not be welcomed by all, but I feel as though the teacher can continue to give tips and offer direction.

When I have my own classroom, I plan on creating a strong connection between me and the parents of my students. I would like to offer tips on how to help their child read and complete other learning activities. Simply sending a letter home, or discussing it with them during open house would be beneficial. I think that some parents may resist the advice, however, many parents are always willing to learn about ways to help their children. So while formal training of every parent may be impossible, it is definitely feasable to think that classroom teachers can help to "train" the parents of their students.

1 comment:

Julie H said...

I like your idea about "training" parents to read to their children. So many of them feel inadequate when it comes to that. They need to be reminded that kids don't judge the quality of the reading, they just like having a parent read to them. A good time to address that issue would be your first open house. You could have a running video of you reading to their children for demo. Then send home friendly tips on a sheet they can post on the fridge.